November 8: Today's Birthday in Music: Patti Page

Patti Page (November 8, 1927—January 1, 2013) was an American singer, known mostly for her achievements in country music. She was Mercury Records' first female artist. She had 15 million-selling singles, including "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming" "All My Love (Bolero)", "I Went to Your Wedding", and "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window," and "Tennessee Waltz."

Page was born Clara Ann Fowler in Claremore, Oklahoma to B.A. and Margaret Fowler. She was raised in a few different Oklahoma cities, and eventually graduated from Daniel Webster High School in Tulsa.

She began singing for a Tulsa radio station on a program that was sponsored by the Page Milk Company. This led to her being called "Miss Patti Page." When saxophone player and band manager Jack Rael came to do a show in Tulsa, he heard her voice and invited her to join his band. She went on to tour with the Jimmy Joy Band throughout the 1940s. (Image source)

By 1947, the band had landed in Chicago and Page sang there with big band leader Benny Goodman. This performance led to a contract with Mercury records.

She released her first single with Mercury not long after, called "Confess." A strike resulted in them not being able to hire background singers, so Page instead overdubbed her own vocals. This was the first time this technique was ever used. The song was her first ever major pop hit to make on to the Billboard charts, peaking at no. 12.

Page followed with the hits "So in Love" and "Money, Marbles, and Chalk." In 1950, she released , "All My Love (Bolero)," which peaked at no. 1.

1950 became a major year for Page. She then released a version of "Tennessee Waltz," which went to no.1. By this point, her music was selling millions of copies. She continued this trend with "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)," "Mockin' Bird Hill, "And So to Sleep Again", "Detour," "I Went to Your Wedding," along with a few others.

In 1953, she released the novelty tune, "(How Much Is That) Doggie In the Window," which became her fourth no. 1 hit. The song included a dog barking, originally meant for a children's album, but it has become one of her most iconic songs.

Page continued to be a major force over the next few years, releasing "Cross Over the Bridge," "Steam Heat," "Let Me Go Lover" and others.

In 1956, she began working with musical director Vic Schoen, who added a jazzy-ness to her music that she hadn't produced before. Some songs she produced while working with Schoen include "Mama from the Train", "Allegheny Moon", "Old Cape Cod", "Belonging to Someone" and "Left Right Out of Your Heart."

Page's success slowed after those, culminating in her final major pop hit in 1965, "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte."

Soon, she moved to Columbia records and produced a slew of adult contemporary tracks, which became popular in their own right: "You Can't Be True, Dear," "Gentle On My Mind," and "Little Green Apples." She returned to Mercury and to country music in 1970. (Image source)

Page continued to perform throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In her later years, she released the albums Live at Carnegie Hall: The 50th Anniversary Concert (1998) and Brand New Tennessee Waltz (2000). She appeared every so often on television and in concert throughout the early 2000s.

In 1997, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and in 2013, she was posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.